FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
Winning a European Championship is not easy. Winning at home already seems like a cursed thing, even if your name is Cristiano Ronaldo, Mateus, Gascoigne, Deco, Griezmann, Kane...
It is another stubborn fact, proven after Spain-Germany, a match that has already been included in the anthology of the competition. The results confirm that since 1984, the host country of the European has not won the competition. So the 40 year curse continues.
It does not seem like "food for fortune tellers" to think that France in 1984 would end the alliance of organizers with victory. In that final, in which the Gauls beat Spain 2-0, we had to wait until the second half to see the goals. The first came with Platini's foul, the second came when Belone "sealed" the match.
From that moment, when the France of the aforementioned Platini, Zhires, Tigana and Bosis, among other figures, lifted the trophy, the curse of the organizer has been imposed on everything. If the hosts are always given a bigger set of chances, the European is set to blow up the predictions.
In 1988, this curse began for the hosts of the European Championship. Germany hosted the field, while the Netherlands took the glory. The Oranges of the era of Van Basten, Koeman and Gul eliminated the hosts (2-1), which included Mateus and Klinsman, in a match with the flavor of revenge for the 1974 World Cup and then Russia in the final. Van Basten's famous shot from the area against Dasaev remains unforgettable.
In 1992 in Sweden a local victory was not expected, despite the potential. Even less from Denmark. The Danish team was called from the beach to replace Yugoslavia, sanctioned for the Balkan war. The Danes, with Shmajkell and Brian Laudrup, but without Michael Laudrup, made one of the biggest surprises in the history of the European Championship, defeating Germany in the final 2-0.
In 1996 England were hoping to win again, 30 years after the 1966 World Cup. With Gascoigne and Shearer at the helm, England had a team capable of anything. The dream died in a penalty shootout, in the semi-final against Germany, at Wembley. The error had the name of Southgate, the current manager in question. In the final, Germany defeated the Czech Republic (2-1).
In 2000, the competition was split between Belgium and the Netherlands as host countries. The Oranges had an average national team, with the De Bër brothers, Klaivert, etc. In the semi-finals, a penalty eliminated them against Italy, who would later succumb to Zidane and Henry's France in the final.
In 2004, the surprise was big. Portugal had prepared everything to achieve a great victory for its national team. The Portuguese team looked formidable with Figo, Deco, Carvajo and a young talent on the rise, Cristiano Ronaldo. Greece, without charm, defeated the Portuguese in the group stage, then in the final. A surprise Aristeas goal rewarded the Greek defensive football, under German Rehagel.
In 2008, the European took place in Austria and Switzerland. The two organizers were not on the list of favourites. In the first row, even the subsequent champion, Spain, which under the leadership of Luis Aragones beat Germany in the final with the goal of Fernando Torres, did not appear.
In 2012, with Spain installed on the world football podium, the European went to Poland and Ukraine. The prediction came true and Del Bosque's players gave their rivals no chance. In the final, in the Olympic stadium of Kiev, Spain won 4-0 against Italy.
In 2016, France could repeat the title achieved in 1984. The Roosters, with players like Griezmann, Pogba, Kante and Giroud, were aiming high. In the final played in "Saint-Denis", the Transaplinians were awaited by Portugal led by Cristiano Ronaldo, who was injured in the first minutes of the match. In extra time, a surprising shot from outside the area by Eder unlocked the score. Another bitter surprise for the organizers of the competition.
In 2020, the competition was postponed for a year due to the pandemic. The European was held in 2021 in various European countries, until the final stage, with the final played in England. The local national team appeared once again with chances of success. That's what happened until the final. The England-Italy match at "Wembley" ended 1-1, so it went to penalties. Mistakes by Rashford and Saka made Italy champions, with Donnaruma the hero.
Mikel Merino's goal "sealed" another 4-year barrier between the host and the championship title. Europeans are like that, damn the countries that organize them. The last four decades clearly prove this.
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